Beyond the Box with Genna Gurvich

Everything metamorphosizes, yet is interdependent all at the same time. Genna Gurvich plays with the balance of differences and similarities but bringing everything together is Gurvich’s goal. This pixel artist explores beyond the box and at the same time, considers what each pixel brings together and sets apart. First trained to be an industrial designer, he started out learning watercolor and gouache techniques before learning oil painting on his own later on.

He started exhibiting his works after spending nearly a decade in formal art education. Gurvich now works with digital art programs on the computer to help his work, which has become instrumental to his process. The symbolic, pixelated, and transitional form is a concept Gurvich now wrestles within his work.

I am pleased to present Genna Gurvich’s new works and an interview with FRONTRUNNER.

How would you describe your work to a lay person?

Everything in the world is interconnected and interdependent. In art, I am interested in processes that unfold over time, their transformation, and their influence on subsequent phenomena. In my project “Periodic Table of Art Elements,” I identify significant artifacts that have influenced or even shaken the rest of the art world. To bring all these “elements” together into a single cycle, I transform the originals into a unified, pixelated symbolic language.

What type of artwork (or other kinds of media) were you interested in when you started working as an artist?

I began my formal training in painting and drawing in college, preparing to become an industrial designer. It’s worth noting that at the beginning of my education, I did not accept (or understand) anything other than the realistic language of painting. Back then, our lessons were limited to watercolor and gouache techniques. I started to learn oil painting later on.

How have you changed since you have started?

My early works could rather be attributed to symbolism or visual parables. Later, elements of conceptualism began to appear. In recent years, I have been fascinated by large cycles that contain an element of “scientific” research and experimentation, based on the principle of gradually immersing oneself in a subject. Sometimes, I return to previous projects when I see further potential for their development.

What are your upcoming projects?

The computer has significantly influenced the development of my work. I have found the use of certain programs beneficial in developing my conceptual language as a universal tool. Essentially, it’s like a brush or a sculptor’s chisel. I continue to work with color, and I often use program algorithms to eliminate arbitrary colors in favor of specific ones. This is especially important in a project like “Art History.” It’s also worth noting my extensive experience with AI. Let me be clear, it is just another tool that one must master and control with one’s “will.” Otherwise, AI creates images that have no relation to art.

How does this body of work fit into the larger framework of your career?

I do not plan to finish a particular project by Friday, or by the end of summer or fall. Each project exists separately, like a living organism, and requires its own rhythm. This does not mean that the project inflates shapelessly. There is a clear structure and its own internal cycle of development. There is a large volume of completed projects patiently awaiting their meeting with the viewer.

How do you see yourself evolving in your practice?

I do not have a strict schedule. My practice includes many random moments, such as reading books, browsing the internet, listening to music, visiting exhibitions, talking with friends, and keeping up with the pulse of the times. Everything is interconnected, and I study these connections.

What are seven things you must have while working in the studio?

My studio is my home, with shelves of my old paintings and sculptures in the corners. My studio has shelves of books not only about art. My studio is in my mind, which is why it’s not always important where I am. My studio is my desk with a powerful computer and high-quality speakers. My studio has many tools, always ready for work. My studio is also a shed with equipment for woodworking. And, of course, a glass of clean water.